Ne'er Do Well: Revised
by Aestiony Year
Summary: Revised: Zack, a brooding vampire, is hired to kill and protect a girl by two groups with conflicting interests.
1. Chapter 1

Title: **Ne'erDoWell**  
Category: Games » Final Fantasy VII  
Author: Aestiony Year  
Language: English, Rating: Rated: T  
Genre: Romance/Supernatural  
Published: 05-14-10, Updated: 05-14-10  
Chapters: 1, Words: 3,723

**Chapter 1: Chapter 1**

A/N: Hey all, glad you noticed the change in pen name. That's right; I am now Aestiony Year- Ace for short. How clever of you to figure it out.

Recently, the mercverse has been gnawing away at my poor little brain, just begging me to write down the little tidbits smashing around my brain like pellets from a BB gun in the hands of a hyperactive kid with a box of popsicles. And I have twisted it for my own amusement; it's definitely a bit different, but I don't know. Maybe it's right up your alley, ne?

Anyway, here for your casual perusal is the latest twisted creation from the recesses of my mind. Enjoy, I beg of you! Please, enjoy!

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own FFVII or any of the characters. If I did, almost all of them would be tied to my bed and would never appear in any work of fiction due to the fact that they would be helpless at my very sadistic mercy.

A loud _thwack _interrupted Zack's concentration as a large manila envelope interrupted the very colorful text of the trash tabloid he was reading. With an irritated sigh, the not-entirely-human man looked up from where he was hunched over the kitchen table, reading the latest news about things and people he wasn't really interested in.

"What the heck is this, Cloud?" the dark haired man asked, his voice bored and almost uninterested. Another man with unruly blonde haired leaned over him, picking up the picture-splashed pages between a thumb and forefinger and holding it in front of him like it was covered in noxious fumes or dirt.

"Really, Zack? What is this? Do you even know who any of these people are?" The cerulean-eyed vampire looked down at his colleague.

"No, but what does it matter? It's better than those weird theory books you have hanging around here." He smirked at his superior, revealing twin elongated canines. "And stop dodging the question. I'm not opening this thing," he indicated the envelope with graceful, pale fingers. "Until you tell me what it's about. I know the rules."

The rules of the mercenary were simple, maybe only three or four to the concord. And one of the most important was, "If you open the assignment, you have to complete it." He couldn't count the number of times that miserable experiences had drilled that fact into his head. _Genesis is _still _making fun of that time where I had to do that puppy and chocolate bar job._

Cloud chuckled- a rare display of emotion for the responsibility-laden bloodsucker, running an errant hand through his flaxen hair. "Of course you do."

Sky blue orbs fastened to Cloud as the dominating vampire took a seat opposite from the raven-haired freelancer.

"It's a simple job; just another routine assassination. Easy for you, huh?" A wan smile attached itself to Cloud's lips; they were both desperately in need of a meal.

Yet, unlike Cloud who had himself a pretty little blood slave, Zack had to go find his own. Tossing the cream-colored envelope back onto the table, the rogue vampire stood fluidly.

"I'll think about it." _That's all they ever want- someone dead. _He turned his back on Cloud, ignoring formalities and eliciting a sigh from the Vampire Lord of the Fifth Realm.

"You may be my closest friend, Zack, but I will only tolerate your rebellion for so long. What would the other Lords say?" Zack rolled his eyes, still confused as to why Cloud had ever aspired to become part of the ruling class of vampires, even if it was the lowest ranking position in the High Council.

There was still a heck of a lot more power that Cloud held than his own rogue best friend

"I don't give a flying _crap_ what the others think," the elder vampire snapped. "And I sure as all get out don't understand why you do."

Cloud sighed, raking the chair across the wooden floor as he stood wearily. "Zack, don't push my hand… not today, okay?"

It was Cloud's subtle way of diffusing the loaded situation, and Zack grudgingly took it. "Fine," he sighed, raking an impatient hand through his hair. "But I'm still not sure if I want the job."

Cloud nodded, a half-smile tugging at his lips as his thick-headed best friend mocked everything that Cloud stood for with a low bow at the waist. Zack was the perfect rebel; you couldn't convict him- everything he did was well within the _rules_- but you knew exactly what he was doing.

"See you around, Cloud," Zack tossed over his shoulder as he exited the posh pent-house apartment with a wave.

The Fifth Vampire Lord smirked, praying to Gaia that he wouldn't have to see the day when Zack would pay dearly for his insolence.

.-.-.-.-.

"Hey, puppy. Can't take another, huh?" Zack almost cringed at the familiar velvet tones of his main business competition- Genesis Rhapsodos. The irritating red sword-wielder was constantly trying to show Zack up, and in turn, the vampires as well.

Up until that point, Zack had been nursing his fourth shot of whiskey at the dim bar of the downtown downworld dive, with the intent of indulging the rapidly blooming drunkard that had seemingly always lain underneath the surface. Too bad that drunkard was chained by rapid cell regeneration. _Poor bastard._

_Too bad for me, I can't get drunk anymore._ One of the effects of vampirism was the rapid regeneration of cells, and while it worked wonders for getting shot multiple times- _freaking dog- _it also applied to degenerating, alcohol-soaked liver cells.

"Shut up; don't call me that, either," the ex-human muttered angrily into his drink.

"Sorry, mate, but until I forget the priceless image of you and that dog- not to mention the sheer amount of _chocolate-_ that's your nickname." Just thinking about it sent Genesis into a fit of giggles, his amber hair shaking with his mirth.

"Is that all you came here for? To laugh at me, and comment about my inability to get drunk?"Zack scowled, all traces of the innocent and care-free human he used to be dispelled. He clutched the shot glass tightly, not wincing when the glass shattered with a nasty _crack_ and a spray of throat-burning alcohol.

Zack ignored the splinters of glass slicing open his skin since he refuse to relax his fist. Genesis licked his lips as he watched the scarlet elixir coat the vampire's hand and dribble onto the table.

Genesis may not have been a vampire, but even half-demons couldn't resist the siren call of blood, especially not blood as powerful as a murderous vampire.

"No," he replied slowly, his pale lapis lazuli eyes tracing the crimson rivulets on Zack hand. "Barret has a job for you; he asked me to give you word. I tried to tell him I could handle it, but you know how _sweet _he is on you."

Zack smirked, lifting his blood and glass-covered hand to his mouth. He ran his tongue slowly over the bittersweet surface, spitting out the flecks of commonplace paragon onto the bartop.

Genesis's eyes follow the velvet path of Zack's tongue, his eye twitching every time a cerise shard hit the wooden surface. Clearing his throat awkwardly, the hellion interrupted Zack's sadistic snack.

"S-so… are you going to take the job?"

Zack dropped his hand and licked his lips, not noticing the way that almost Genesis's entire frame seemed to follow the action. "I don't know," the soldier of fortune replied slowly. It seemed as of late that _I don't know _was his standard answer.

Barret, so far, had never given him a job he hadn't liked; that _one _incident had been at Cloud's urging- a favor for another council member.

"C'mon, puppy," Genesis cajoled, earring glinting in the almost non-existent light of the run-down pub. "Don't be such a…" At this point, Genesis stopped and snickered, like he had just thought of perhaps the world's funniest thing. "Bitch!" The red-sworded madcap broke into loud guffaws, completely at odds with the image of a half-demon.

Zack rolled his eyes, looking up for assistance from the very place that had condemned him. "Really," he sighed. "Keep it up. No, really," he urged to Genesis's chortling. "You're _high-_larious."

Thankfully, the bar was nearly empty, and those who occupied the desecrated building were smart enough to know who Zack Fair was and what he was capable of. Needless to say, no one thought anything of the firebrand and his mirth- at least, they didn't voice any concerns or smart-ass comments.

"_Aaaanyyy _time now," Zack hissed (an action made much more impressive now that he had a massive pair of canines). "I have all night."

Genesis sputtered to a stop, a hand clutching his stomach and tears running down his face. "Okay," he wheezed, unaffected by Zack's bared teeth. "I'm done, I swear."

Sighing in mock relief, Zack pressed a hand to his face, leaving a thin streak of pale red across his brow. "Thank _Gaia._ Now if you'll excuse me…" He placed enough gil on the table to cover for the drink and the glass, and he stood fluidly.

Zack was almost out the door when Genesis's voice caught up to him. "What about the job? It pays well, of course."

Those were the magic words; the hireling turned back around, an avaricious smile slashed across his face. "Tell Barret I'll take it. Have the specs delivered to the usual place." _Now to find a snack…_

.-.-.-.-.

The high-rise apartment was dark except for a small filtering of argent moonlight in the glass-paneled den.

A blonde form lounged across a white leather couch- just one piece in an immoderate collection of furniture strewn around the room. His beryl eyes were mirror surfaces for the silver light that danced around the room, creating a feral image that caused a spark of fear in the slight, dark-haired woman standing stoically in at the edge of the room.

"Tifa," the hungry vampire called softly, his rich voice turning the word into a caress. _It was unintentional,_ Tifa Lockheart reminded herself fiercely. _I'm nothing to him but a convenient meal._

"Yes, master?" Tifa murmured, her crimson eyes tracing the planes of Cloud's statue-like body. Even covered in the simple clothes that the vampire lord chose for himself, he looked like some kind of damned god come to earth to wreak revenge. _Even so, I think the clothes enhance it._

"I told you not to call me that," Cloud sighed, hunger pains lancing his throat. "'Sir' works just fine."

Tifa nodded, but otherwise made no comment. It was age-old tradition, the bonding of a human to a vampire; it was sub-conscious, blended into her very blood, that relationship of servant and master.

"Come here," the sanguisuge rasped, his fingers curled loosely in the air. He hated to take from Tifa, since he never had anything to give back to her, save his protection- and she wouldn't even need that if he hadn't so selfishly taken her for himself.

Tifa's breath hitched in her throat as she stiffly moved towards the sloping couch and Cloud.

When Cloud requested her blood, Tifa could imagine a lover's desire in his voice. When he ran his tongue across her neck, readying it to receive his fangs, she could pretend she was wrapped in a lover's embrace. When his lips pressed to her throat, she could pretend that he loved her, that she meant something to him.

Mistaking Tifa's rigid excitement as nervous reluctance, Cloud's eyes narrowed. He hated doing this to Tifa, despised himself for it. But to have a blood slave was a mark of rank, a solidifying symbol, and that was something that Cloud could not forgo.

He was also selfish enough that he could bear hurting Tifa if that meant he could possess her, even just her body at the risk of her heart. He couldn't earn that sacred trust even if he tried, despite how desperately he wanted to.

Tifa slunk across the room and perched on the edge of the backless sofa, clasping her hands loosely in her lap. She almost moaned aloud when she felt his arms wrap around her waist from behind, tugging her back against his hard-muscled chest.

"Relax, Tifa," Cloud rumbled, his mouth inches from her throat. He was holding the thick curtain of her hair away from the slender column of her neck, his fingers playing in the silk strands. "It won't hurt; you know that…" His tongue flicked out from the confines of his teeth, dragging in hot, slow swirls over the taut skin of her neck.

Tifa restrained a shudder as a slow flush claimed her cheeks. Her fingernails dug half-moons into the supple leather as she gripped the couch in effort to keep her hands off the brooding vampire behind her.

Cloud was trying to relax her, unaware that Tifa was aching to touch him, not nervous in the least bit. Unknown to Tifa, Cloud was fighting his base human urges; he wanted to drag her across his body, pin her svelte form underneath him, and grind her into the couch.

A choked sound issued from somewhere deep within the mortal's throat, her stomach clenching in pleasure. "Cloud…" she gasped, playing pretend in her mind, oblivious to how her fantasy was slowly starting to play out in reality.

"Yes?" Cloud murmured, lightly running his cold hands up her arms to clasp to her shoulders. As sick as he knew he was, he couldn't ignore to teasing rush of the blood pounding in Tifa's veins; as desperate as he was to play out every twisted fold and sub-plot in his cravings, he couldn't ignore the call to feed.

"I… I nee- ooh!" Tifa groaned as Cloud's fangs pierced her in primitive possession. Even as her lifeblood rushed out of her to feed her master, she eagerly handed herself over to the mind-numbing pleasure that came with the giving.

Tifa let her unlikely fantasy grip her mind in the throes of its deceptive embrace. _He loves me, and I love him. He does this because he wants to, not because he has to. He does this because he would die otherwise… _The painful truth was lost somewhere in her hazy mind.

The moon-lit room was silent except for the sound of Cloud's greedy sucking, the very sound twisting his insides with disgust. _I'm sorry, Tifa… If there was any other way…_

When he was sated, Cloud retracted his fangs from Tifa's neck, lapping up the stray rouge droplets that dotted her neck. His conscience was eased a little bit at the breathy pants that were coming from her mouth; Cloud knew all about the pleasurable side effects of blood-drinking. He hadn't always been the dominant participant.

Tifa's breathing was deep, her mind clouded with lethargy. He hadn't meant to take as much blood as he had ended up drinking. The listless vampire extracted himself from underneath Tifa's feather-light body, and laid her length on the couch as her crimson eyes fluttered closed.

Pressing his blood-blushed lips to her forehead, Cloud watched as Tifa's breathing slowed into contented snores.

"Thank you, Tifa. Sleep well; hopefully I won't haunt your dreams."

_Yet, he did._

.-.-.-.-.

"Here, this came for you today. Yuffie found it outside, leaning against the door. She said it smelled like Genesis… Is he our new mailman? Did you eat the last one?"

It was a lame attempt at a joke, punctuated by a thick manila envelope slapping down on top of the pop culture magazine Zack had been perusing.

"Are we going to make a habit of this?" Zack sighed, not looking up from the loud, clip-art spattered page detailing some vague-looking celebrity in rehab for some vague addiction. "I was reading- quite peacefully- you know."

"Were you really?" Cloud retorted, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Who's that then?" he asked, throwing a hand at a picture of a pale girl with sunglasses that dominated her face- not to mention a scowl that could freeze an open flame.

Zack paused for a minute, his eyes narrowed in concentration at the page. "Screw you," he decided finally.

"That's what I thought," Cloud finished, triumphant. "So what's in the envelope?"

The vampire noble was in a considerably more energetic mood since he had fed last night; the feeling of blood coursing through his hardened veins was something that could make any vampire want to sing. Unfortunately, Cloud's position could not _afford_ anything so undignified, and Zack merely refused to make a fool of himself on principle.

Zack groaned, easing his languid for out of the chair he had been draped in. "If you must know, it's a job. Barret offered it to me, and he pays well without all the political strings."

Cloud stiffened at the barb hidden in the comment, but deigned not to comment. "What about the job I asked you to do yesterday?"

Zack looked over his shoulder at his friend, his brows pulled over his sky blues eyes in consternation. "What? I can't take two jobs? Calm down, Nancy."

Cloud sighed and took a seat next to his angsty friend. "Are you going to open _either_ of them? There's quite a bit of money revolving around these two envelopes. You could probably even- I don't know- get your _own_ apartment if you accepted them."

Zack rolled his eyes and loped down the long hallway that began as the chrome kitchen ended. Cloud followed him with his eyes, confused until he returned moments later with Cloud's envelope. "Okay, fine. Here I go."

Zack untwisted the elastic holding the manila jacket closed and upended the pouch. Several pieces of paper slid out, as well as a photograph.

It was a grainy image preserved on an ink-sprayed 4x6; it was a picture of a girl, her auburn haired tied into a spiraling ponytail by a pink ribbon. Her sea-glass green eyes were focused just beyond the camera and a half-smile was tugging at her lips.

Zack stared down at the picture, confusion evident on his face. "Why does the Council want _this _girl dead?"

Cloud shrugged, trying not to look concerned that the Council of the Vampire Lords wanted to kill an innocent girl just because "She's quite vocal about our way of life. Apparently, she doesn't approve and a few acts of terrorism with the help of the WRO are helping her make a _point._"

"So, the Council feels that it's necessary to _kill_ her? She's just a human girl, for Chrissakes. Is she really such a threat?" Zack asked, skepticism thick in his voice.

"Well, the Turks are claiming that they'll protect her if we try to go after her publicly, so we need you to do that for us. She's picking off prominent vampires one by one.

How long will it be until she starts going after council members- the Vampire Lords?" Cloud explained, somber and serious, his blue eyes hard like sapphire chips.

Zack nodded, still doubtful that such a delicate-looking girl could be such a problem to the rulers of the entire vampire race. _But hey, I couldn't give a crap. As long as they pay me well…_

"Alright, whatever. Can't do anything about it now, anyway," he shrugged, indicating the contents of the envelope spread across the table. "Besides, I already opened the envelope."

Cloud agreed with a noncommittal murmur as Zack opened up Barret's job specifications. Just as before, a picture slid out- the exact image as the first envelope contained. "Um, does everyone want this girl dead?"

Cloud, shifting through the documents still inside the manila sheath, scanned through the qualifications laid out in business-like type. "Hardly. Maybe you should read this; it seems like the Turks hired you through Barret."

The raven-locked ne'er-do-well pulled the paper from Cloud's long fingers scanned over the document. "Holy crap! What do I do?" Zack cried, losing the paper as he pushed his hands through his spiky hair.

The sheet flipped through the air to land on the table, its heading bold against the stark white background: **Capture and Safe Escort.**

So there you have it folks: chapter one.

I'm not sure if I like the title, so it may change in the near future.

_All _criticism and reviews are welcome. How can I improve if no one tells me what I need to work on? Anyway, thank you for reading this; I hope I didn't butcher the characters too much.

Until next time!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: So it's been a while, and I know you hate me for that.  
Actually, I don't even have an excuse other than that... Well, I do have an excuse. You see, I've been living in a hole for five months, surviving on nothing but pebbles and my own sarcastic snorts. A meager existence, but existence nonetheless; especially since a self-aware alarm clock forced me into such a hiding. It knows everything and can see into my soul, so I had to get away from it.

Anyway, here's chapter two. If you haven't noticed, I dropped the rating down to T because I'm tired of the excessive cursing I was using... so enjoy my more child-appropriate version!

*Italics denote flashbacks

* * *

The bar was an easy place to lose oneself in, despite the fact that it was a tiny hole-in-the-wall and the clientele were all regulars who saw each others as drinking buddies, if not friends. It was because of this familiarity with each other that it was easy to get lost; everyone could tell who didn't want company that night. And Zack was definitely one of those people tonight.

"_Cloud... what do I do?" Zack cried out uneven tones, slightly nervous. At this point, Zack's main concern was a discrepancy in payment. "Tell me you didn't tell the Turks that I opened this envelope!" _

_The blonde coven leader shook his head. "I didn't tell them anything ye-" At that moment, a pale lean figure detached itself from the shadows; he wore a black suit indicative of the Turks. It was a wonder that neither of the vampires had seen himbefore, his hair was such a vibrant shade of red._

"_Mr. Strife might not have told us that you accepted the contract... But _I_ know you did." The man's long ponytail swung slightly as he walked toward the vampires, his mouth pulled into a catlike smile- he definitely had his paw in two very guilty canaries' cage. _

Zack punctuated the flood of memory with a swig from his mug. The frothy amber liquid did little to erase the memories; he motioned for the bartender to bring his something exponentially more powerful in an exponentially smaller glass. The raven-haired vampire sullenly nodded his thanks.

"_You see, Zack... Can I call you Zack?" The man chuckled and moved to pulled out a chair from the table across the room; the two vampires keep themselves composed in stony silence while the red-haired man seated himself in a chair._

_Seeing that Zack wasn't inclined to affirm or deny access to his Christian name, the man laughed again and continued. "Since a member of the Turks- me- has seen you open the job we issued you, we- I" His smile widened into something approximating a feral grimace. "- have the right to kill you; nothing your council does can change that."_

Zack downed a third shot and pushed his stool back from the bartop, nodding at the bartender. Zack had a steady tab at the bar, one that he would probably put off paying until they threatened to kick him out.

Once out on the street, Zack found that he didn't have anywhere to go; the sun had set a mere four hours ago which meant that the streets were thick and crowded. The people that surged around Zack gave him more space than the humans they were passing; humans weren't aware of the existence of vampires, but something in their subconscious- primal instinct, Zack supposed- kept they from getting to close to vampires. Or the hot waves of anger rolling of off Zack could be keeping the humans at bay.

"_I don't care about the council," Zack growled around his enlarged canines; he was angry which made his fangs look less needle-like and much more fang-like. Cloud shot him a look, but didn't comment otherwise. "If I just kill you here, no one will be the wiser."_

"_Sinclair!" A comm unit underneath the Turk's black jacket squawked loudly. The red-head cursed and pulled the comm unit, answering in clipped tones. "Reno, responding. What do you want?" he snapped. "I'm busy here, yo." _

_The voice on the other crackled and then came back. "You're done there. How long does it take to threaten a leach?" Both of the 'leaches' snarled- Cloud softly, and Zack loudly and ferally._

"_Hmph. Rude... yanno they can hear you, right?" Reno coughed uncomfortably into the two-way; he had lost his tough guy composure and was now tugging on his unbuttoned collar nervously. The comm squawked again, but the voice on the other end came out as a low murmur. Reno, shifting in his chair, brought the device up to his ear, listening and nodding. _

"_Okay, okay; keep ya panties on. I'll be there in a few." Reno stood and fixed himself- red hair, red tattoos, and blue eyes were the only things he couldn't make less wild. "Well, I'd love to say it's been fun, but... that would be an over-statement." He moved lithely toward the apartment door, patches of shadow and light playing on his pale skin. He pushed it open and moved half-way through the metal portal before looking back at the vampires. _

_They had remain utterly motionless, Cloud pulling off a relaxed façade and Zack looking furious, eyes flashing and hands curled into claws. "It was nice talking to you two, yo," Reno quipped with a smirk. Quickly- violet eyes flashing- Zack snatched up a picture frame from a nearby inn-table and flung it with lightning speed at the door. But at that point, Reno had already slipped out the door; the frame smashed against the door with enough force that some of the miniscule pieces flung themselves back at Zack, getting stuck in his hair and scalp. _

Zack sighed angrily, not sure what he was furious at anymore. He wouldn't be in this predicament if Reno weren't such a... such a... _terrorist!_ After Reno had left, Zack had walked over to the phone to call Barret and let him know he didn't want the job. Barret trusted Zack enough to know that he wouldn't open a job and then not take it; his faith this time would be misplaced.

With younger, newer mercenaries, employers would make the young guns open or reject a job in front of them to make sure they didn't look at a job and then reject it. If someone had opened a job and then rejected it, he might be tempted to talk about the unaccepted job and authorities might get wind of it. You were less likely to talk about a hit that you were going to carry out.

_But when Zack had dialed Barret's number, he had gotten a busy tone. Zack slammed the receiver down, and paced the room. The lights were all on, washing the apartment in a sallow fluorescent glare. Of course, vampires could see in next to no light, but Tifa had arrived at the apartment shortly after Reno had left._

"_What happened _here?" _Tifa asked the two vampires, kicking at pieces of metal and glass that littered the floor around the door. There was a pit in the door, and Tifa ran her pale hands over the dip in the metal. _

_Zack only looked at the blood slave before moving towards the back of the room where the wall was a continuous sheet of glass. Furniture was placed around haphazardly, and Zack flung himself down on the couch. He wasn't too worried, but he was pissed that Reno and the Turks had forced him into a corner. He didn't like being threatened to do anything. _

_The vampire sighed and licked a stray fleck of blood from the explosion of glass earlier as he thought of the hassle it would be to call Barret and reject a job. The huge gun-armed man would pester him with questions and he might even suspect that Zack had already opened the manila envelope._

"_Nothing, Teef," Cloud called from his office, located in the far reaches of his apartment. "Zack had a temper tantrum... the usual."_

_Tifa smiled and moved passed the door and into the usually unused kitchen to grab some cleaning supplies and fix the mess. "Tifa," Zack called into the kitchen, not waiting for acknowledgement. "Could you bring the phone out here?" Normally, Cloud would have snapped at Zack for ordering Tifa around, _especially _without a please. But Cloud must have been buried in his work not to notice._

"_Sure thing! Just give me a minute!" she called from the kitchen, shuffling around and slamming cabinets, looking for something to clean the drops of vampire blood from where Zack and Cloud had gotten cut. She sauntered out of the kitchen and dropped the cordless phone in Zack's lap. He smiled up roguishly at Tifa, but she was already moving away. _Besides, she only has eyes for one vampire, _he thought with a sly grin._

_Zack dialed Barret's number and sighed in relief when Barret's deep baritone answered on the other end. "Yo, princess. What's up? I already heard the news."_

"_You did?" Zack asked in surprise. Barret sounded too happy to just have gotten the news that Zack didn't want his job. "What news?"_

_Barret paused, wary for a moment. "That you took the job I gave you. A friend of yours called a few minutes ago to let me know you took it, but you were... too busy to tell me. That was a quick feed, man." _Reno,_ Zack thought with venom. He called Barret and told him that Zack wanted the job but was too busy feeding on someone to call and confirm the job. _I'm screwed_._

"_Ah, right," Zack murmured, unenthused. "I just wanted to make sure you got the news." He hung up before Barret could say anything else._

He left the apartment shortly after, which led to him wandering the streets in a worked-up, agitated state. The people walking the street of Midgar surged and ebbed as they made their way home from work, or made their way to the various dives and shady bars that they preferred.

Another shady bar beckoned to the angry vampire. Just as he stepped into the doorway of the dimly lit, smoke-filled room, his phone buzzed with a text message. Zack reached into one of his pockets, and pulled out a thin green cell phone. He flipped it open to read the text: _Thank you for your business, Mr. Fair. We look forward to working with you, but please know you will be terminated if you fail to uphold your end of the contract. –WRO" _

"Well doesn't that beat all?" Zack asked no one in particular with desperate humor. The WRO meant business. He flipped the phone closed and ran his hand through his hair, feeling the pits and bumps on his scalp that were healing from his picture frame mess few hours before.

The violet-eyed vampire slumped into a stool at the bartop and nodded at the scowling bartender- some people could tell a vampire right off, just by looking at them. Usually, those people were eliminated by the Lords, but apparently this man had escaped that fate... so far. " 'Can I getcha?" the man growled with resentful duty.

"Whatever can get me drunk the quickest," Zack mumbled with a wave of his hand. The bartender shot him an askance glance, knowing that vampires couldn't get drunk, but shrugged and slid him a small glass of something clear. Zack downed it gratefully as soon as the cool glass touched his fingers.

He set the glass down on the pitted, cloudy bartop when his elbow was jostled and the glass fell to the floor. It didn't break, but rolled away under a table across the room. The bartender shot Zack a look but refrain from commenting.

"Fancy seeing you here, Zack," Reno crowed, slightly drunk. Zack curled his fingers into his palm, pressing angry red crescents into the white flesh. "I trust you told Barret the good news... No? Oh, that's right! I did!"

It took every ounce of will that Zack had not to haul over and punch Reno's teeth out. "Actually, I did and I just want to let you know that I think you should fu-"

"Excuse me..." A soft feminine voice interrupted them, and Reno looked over Zack shoulder at the speaker and grinned manically. "I think you dropped this?" The voice ended on a question and Zack turned around to accept the glass.

He locked eyes with sea green orbs and froze, his dead breath catching in his throat. It was her, but what was she doing here, in a shady place like this? The girl was a canvas of pink clothes and flushed skin, with a yellow lily tucked into the thin light pink ribbon tying back her braid.

Reno stumbled from the bar and moved quickly to a booth across the room, giving Zack a glare too sharp to be alcohol-hazed; he was faking drunk, the little rat. _Get to it, yo,_ he mouthed, gesturing dramatically.

* * *

Okay, so here's chapter two! Yay! I've changed my update days to Sunday, so be on the look out for that, mmkay?

Until next time!


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